Alcohol: 13.7%
Grape(s): Pinot Noir
Localization: Russian River Valley, Sonoma County, California, USA
Tasting Notes: You know that blissed-out feeling you get when you smell a wine that makes you want to jump into the glass? You’ll feel that when you put your nose into Emerald Ridge Pinot. It hits all the texture-fruit-spice-floral notes with its juicy, plush blueberry fruit framed by sandalwood and lavender. While it’s opulent, it also has a fresh lift and energy to the aromas. The wine follows through in the mouth with a broad and enveloping wash of rich blueberry, boysenberry, and black cherry. The basket of fruit is carried on round but firm black tea tannins, which, combined with the harmonious balance of the wine, promise a lengthy future.
Food pairing: Counterpoint the sweet fruit of the wine with savory dishes like herbed pork or fowl, pasta with mushrooms and prosciutto, and cheese like gruyere and Manchego.
The Domain: Dutton-Goldfield Winery began with a handshake in a vineyard in 1998, when longtime colleagues and friends Steve Dutton and Dan Goldfield recognized a shared vision between them—to craft wines that express the personalities of their cool-climate vineyards and which they'd enjoy drinking at their own dinner tables.
A fifth-generation farmer, Steve grew up with a love of driving tractors and, without any doubt, about his future career. Warren Dutton's father had begun growing grapes in the western reaches of Russian River Valley in the mid-1960s when most people thought the area was too cool to grow fruit for quality still wine. Steve started working with his father when he was five years old, and joined Dutton Ranch full-time in 1987. Today, along with his mother and brother, he manages the family business, which has grown from its original 35-acre home shop vineyard to over 80 separate vineyards comprising more than 1,000 acres throughout the western Russian River Valley.
After graduating from Boston's Brandeis University, Dan headed west to begin a career in research chemistry, with a few detours for skiing and hiking on the way. Always an outdoor enthusiast, the life of lab work was quickly replaced with a dream of winemaking when his brother turned him on to the 1969 Burgundies. Dan entered the University of California at Davis, graduating with an M.S. in Enology in 1986. He gained knowledge on the job with stints at Robert Mondavi Winery and Schramsberg and winemaking in Portugal for two years. He found his passion in Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, first as the winemaker at the Burgundian-focused La Crema Winery and then at Hartford Court, which was created under his direction. Dan's appreciation for the beauty of the extraordinary landscape around our home is reflected in his winemaking.
